The tuft of basal leaves of Romulea hirta are thin, long and four-winged. They are variably hairy, the margins usually ciliate, i.e. hair-fringed.
In Afrikaans this plant is known as the geelkruisblaarfroetang (yellow cross leaf froetang), referring to the unusual leaf-shape (Manning and Goldblatt, 1997; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist).